By Paul A. Reid, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
A MYSTERY fire partially destroyed the Tigress II Hotel in the Negril West End early yesterday morning, leaving losses estimated at $15 million. The popular small hotel was not insured.
The Constabulary Communications Network reported that fire was seen at a wooden section of the hotel around 3:30 a.m. and it soon engulfed three blocks, which housed 17 rooms.
Nobody was injured in the fire but the personal belongings of several guests were destroyed and some are blaming the absence of a fire station in the resort town for the damage.
Edward Lawrence, owner of the hotel, told The Gleaner that it took almost three and a half hours for the first fire truck from Lucea to arrive. By then, most of the damage was already done. He described the fire service as "a disaster as it took them about three and half hours to come and by the time they came most of the damage was already done." He said, however, that they did prevent more damage.
Lawrence, who lives on the property, told The Gleaner he had been adding to the original structure for the last 30 years. He said the fire had "set me back as bit, but I am keeping strong." He said he was looking forward to the United States' Spring Break season, which started yesterday. He said he was hopeful he would be able to clean up the property a bit and still get some business in the 15 or so rooms he still has left.
Marti Schur, a long-time visitor, from Chicago, Illinois, USA, who was spending his regular winter holiday at Tigress, told The Gleaner that around "3:30 a.m. or so, I smelled smoke and when I looked out my window I saw a fireball. The first thing I did was I kicked open my door and told everybody in the villa, 'Let's go, it's a fire'."
He said one of the guests had a phone and tried to call the fire department. "They called and called but there was no fire department here. The closest one is Lucea which is far away. They said the trucks that were in Savanna-la-Mar were not in working order and I don't even know if Green Island even has a fire department."
Shure, who said he has been coming here for over 20 years, described the fire as "a shocker; everybody just ran out, threw their clothing and belongings and what was dear to them out the windows, I helped get 'Muncie' (another guest) out of her room as she was fast asleep in the loft apartment."
He said he lost all his clothes and most of his personal belongings but "a neighbour got my personal bag and threw it into the sand so I have my birth certificate, passport and return ticket." The cost of his belongings, he said, was about US$3,000.
He was not angry, however, but "glad no one was hurt and it is a tragedy and hope that it educates people to be better prepared in the future."
